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VIRginia International Raceway: Racing In A Little Piece Of Heaven

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“If there is a heaven on earth, it is VIR.” – Paul Newman


That heaven on earth is located in Alton, Virginia, right on the Virginia-North Carolina border and spanning 1300 acres of expansive green hills and valleys between the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Atlantic coastline.
Set away from bustling metropolitan areas, VIRginia International Raceway offers a little piece of heaven for everyone. The property, also dubbed “America’s Motorsport Resort,” features not only racing, but also skeet and rifle shooting ranges, hotels overlooking the circuit straightaways, a relaxing spa, and cozy restaurants.
“When we approached what we wanted to do here, it came without any preconceived notions,” said VIR Owner/CEO Connie Nyholm, a former real estate investor. “We pretty much built to demand as people came to us with good ideas, and we’ve embraced them.”
But VIR now is not what VIR has always been. What once was a bit of a forgotten relic after 25 dormant years has now turned into a motorsport paradise that fans from across the country flock to every year.


BACKGROUND
1957-1974: Early Struggles Plague the New Track
VIR opened its gates to road racing fans in 1957, but quickly discovered that success would not come easily. Despite hosting racing legends such as Richard Petty, Don Yenko, Augie Pabst and “Father of the Cobra” Carroll Shelby, winner of 1957 inaugural weekend race, VIR struggled to bring in the crowds and management changed hands after only a few years.


Still, the racing continued. Nearly 10 years after VIR opened, IMSA visited the track for the first time in 1971 with its first-ever GT race, won by a Porsche 914-6 GT driven by Peter Gregg and Hurley Haywood. The same duo would win again in 1972 in a Porsche 911S.
That would be the last IMSA race at VIR for decades.
Along with low attendance and management changes, the track was eclipsed by stock car racing, the more popular form of motorsport in the area, and struggled to lure business amidst the oil embargo in 1973 that caused fuel prices to skyrocket. In the end, the challenges were too great for the circuit to overcome and VIR closed its gates in October 1974.


2000: The Reopening
Thinking outside the box, investors Nyholm and Harvey Siegel purchased the VIR property with development plans in mind that went beyond the racetrack. With beautiful land as far as the eye could see, VIR had more to offer its visitors than just incredible sports car racing.
In addition to the resort and other off-roading trails and karting circuits, the property is home to the Virginia Motorsport Technology Park run by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute.
The Park consists of the National Tire Research Center, which uses complex technology to test tire material and performance, and the SOVA Vehicle Motion Lab, which houses an 8-post shaker rig and sophisticated vehicle data acquisition equipment. The Park continues to grow into a major industry center, with race shops and government training sites as well, that people from all over the world look to for development.
In 2000, sports car racing returned to VIR, which sported newly-paved, widened surfaces on the otherwise untouched layout. The GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series returned to VIR two years later and held events at VIR until 2011. The American Le Mans Series raced at VIR in 2012 and ’13 before the merged IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship began its tradition of featuring GT racing at the facility in 2014.
Earlier this year, Nyholm was among those included on Virginia Business magazine’s 2016 Most Influential Virginians, as recognition for VIR’s success and her participation on civic organization boards.
“I think the most rewarding part about here is that no one has to come here,” she said. “They all come here because they choose to. Everybody can go anywhere else that they want to but they choose to come here. When we first opened, it was primarily as a club track and we’ve grown to be a professional track, and that’s what I want to do more of, bring high-level racing to VIR.”


DRIVER PERSPECTIVE
John Edwards, driver of the BMW Team RLL No. 100 BMW M6: “I’ve had a lot of races at VIR and it’s always one of my favorites to go back to because it has a very eclectic mix of corners. You have super high-speed corners likes the esses in Turn 10, but then you have very challenging low speed sections like Turns 4 and 5 getting quicker into 6, and it’s always a very difficult balance to handle the car because one corner feeds into the other, both in some of the low-speed sections and in the high-speed sections, so I’ve always enjoyed that challenge.
“It’s also challenging to get the car right, to get the setup right for the engineers because you can’t just pile downforce on because you do reach high top speeds, but at the same time you can’t rip it off because you really need some great balance in the low-speed stuff as well. It’s just a very challenging place with a lot of elevation change and I think a little bit of everything.”


TRACK PERSPECTIVE
IMSA races take place on the VIR Full Course track configuration, one of five circuit layouts consisting of 3.27 miles of winding turns and elevation changes.

• Turn 7 – Turn 9, the Esses: Looking up the hill while standing at the base of Turn 7 is one of the more iconic views at VIR. The high-speed esses wind up towards South Bend (Turn 10) with the VIR villas just off the track to the left-hand side.
• Turns 12, Oak Tree: The second of a pair of tight right-handers leading onto VIR’s long back straight, Oak Tree is by far the track’s most famous corner. Named for the 200-year old oak tree that nearly marked the apex of the corner, Turn 12 looks a bit different these days as the tree regretfully collapsed during the summer of 2013.

The WeatherTech Championship and IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge return to VIR on August 25-27, 2017 and ticket information is available by calling 434-822-7700 or by visiting VIRNow.com.

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On Tampa Racing The full broadcast!
click here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DA_qMMYN8Ms

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VIR 2016 Porsche GT3 Challenge USA by Yokahama
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YojwHRF9YVk

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The Best Car Scene is Tampa Racing!
Tampa Racing has the best Florida Car Scene Year Round!
Florida's Best Import Car Scene is Tampa Racing!
Tampa Racing sets another record: number of readers on Tampa Racing
at the SAME time: 3,302!
Currently Active Users

There are currently 309 users online. 1 members and 308 guests
Most users ever online was 3,302, May 5 at 02:11 PM.

Upcoming Events for the Next 14 Day(s)

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So Tampa Racing reset the counter and mercy sakes! June 22 2016, Another record set for
number of readers on Tampa Racing at the same time: 2,041
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Currently Active Users

There are currently 222 users online. 2 members and 220 guests
Most users ever online was 2,041, 06-22-2016 at 06:36 PM.

Upcoming Events for the Next 14 Day(s)

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The previous record was 2,668 set on August 29 2015
far exceeding the 1,900+ from the "old days".....
and yes folks, as the primary poster accused of "ruining the site"
I accept full responsibility.....

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VIRginia International Raceway Announces NASCAR Legend Richard Petty as Grand Marshal for the Michelin GT Challenge/IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship
Wednesday, July 12, 2017


VIRginia International Raceway is welcoming NASCAR Hall of Famer and team owner, Richard Petty, to serve as Grand Marshal for the Michelin GT Challenge, the track’s largest race of the year taking place Sunday, August 27 during the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship weekend. Petty is the most decorated driver in the history of NASCAR, with a record number 200 career wins and seven Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Championships.
At the Michelin GT Challenge, Petty will deliver the iconic command, “Drivers, start your engines!” as the competitors prepare to top speeds of 190 miles per hour during the nearly three-hour race on the track’s historic 3.27-mile full course. Petty will also be available for fan meet and greets, autograph signings and photo opportunities throughout the day.
“It is an incredible honor to have ‘The King’ at VIR to kick off our largest and most exciting race of the season,” said Connie Nyholm, VIR owner and CEO. “Richard Petty is one of the most accomplished and respected figures in motorsports, and our fans and drivers are in for a race day they will truly never forget. We can’t wait to share this amazing experience with everyone in August!”
Throughout his life, Petty has been elected to the National Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame, International Motorsports Hall of Fame, North Carolina Auto Racing Hall of Fame and the North Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame. He is also a leader in philanthropy, donating 84 acres of his own land to Victory Junction, a North Carolina camp that enriches the lives of children with chronic medical conditions or serious illnesses. The camp honors the life of Petty’s grandson, Adam Petty, who tragically lost his life in a racing accident one year after a touching experience visiting ill children at Florida’s Camp Boggy Creek. Every year, VIR hosts its Spring Open House and Charity laps event to benefit Victory Junction.
“I am thrilled to serve as Grand Marshal for the Michelin GT Challenge at VIR,” said Richard Petty, owner of Richard Petty Motorsports and Petty’s Garage high performance speed shop. “I couldn’t think of a better occasion to be back on a track than at the only mid-Atlantic stop of this premier North American sports car racing series. VIR is an amazing road course and I’m looking forward to kicking off the big event – it’s going to be a day full of excitement!”
Petty knows first-hand how demanding VIR’s track can be. He and others had difficulties making a left-hand turn, now unofficially dubbed “NASCAR Bend,” during a Trans Am race in the 1960s. This tough third turn of the course also leads drivers further toward the “climbing esses,” a section of the track considered by many race drivers as one of the most challenging and intimidating in North America.
Advanced tickets for the Michelin GT Challenge race weekend are $40 for Friday-only, $45 for Saturday-only, $55 for Sunday-only, $65 for a two-day Saturday and Sunday ticket, and $75 for a three-day ticket. All tickets will be an additional $10 if purchased at the gate. Children 16 and under are admitted free of charge with a paying adult and parking is also free. Active military are admitted free of charge and veterans receive a 50 percent discount with valid military ID. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.virnow.com or call (434) 822-TIKS.

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Excerpt 1: The Living History of VIR, Volume 1

Thursday, 13 July 2017


By Bill King

ABOVE: Walt Hansgen in the cobbled-together Cooper Maserati wrote the textbook on wet track driving. (Leon Townsend image)

Founding RACER.com Editor and old VIR hand Bill King has written the first volume of the official history of Virginia International Raceway.

Click here to purchase "The Living History of Virginia International Raceway, Volume 1: The 20th Century" at The RACER Store.


Virginia International Raceway was among the early group of American road courses that sprang up in the mid-1950s to fill a growing need for proper circuits for the burgeoning, post-WWII U.S. sports car market. Each venture was driven by a dream, the most common thread being the desire for a convenient venue to test themselves and their "exotic" cars.
In describing VIR, Sylvia Wilkinson distilled the essence of all of these new racetracks: 'It's your favorite country road in captivity."
A group of enthusiasts in Greensboro, North Carolina, led the effort to create a road circuit in the mid-Atlantic. They found leaseable land in a rolling setting just into Virginia north of Milton, North Carolina. South Bend Farm was soon to be better known as Virginia International Raceway.
The chronicle of VIR's first 18 years forms a microcosm of road racing for the period, not only on the East Coast but across the country, mirroring the evolution of the sport. Many of the players who populated the early road racing ranks took the sport into the professional sphere.
In his foreword, Sam Posey says, "Here is a book that's authentic, rich in detail, and fun to read."
Excerpt 1: From the 1962 President's Cup at VIR

As the droll Henry N. Manney III often wrote, "Practice was the usual shambles." Of the frequent agricultural excursions, the worst in terms of the President's Cup competition involved the usually tidy Dr. Dick Thompson, who wrote off the right front of the Cunningham-entered Cooper-Maserati. The other Cunningham entry – a Cooper-Buick for Walt Hansgen – suffered bearing failure in the aluminum V8 from TRACO.
With two strikes against him team, manager Alfred Momo gathered all the pieces and sequestered the Cunningham team in a Danville Airport hangar for an all-nighter. Under Momo's direction, the crew plus Hansgen removed the Buick's entire front end and clipped it onto Thompson's smashed car. Butchering Hansgen's otherwise intact mount was the only choice as the chassis had been seriously modified to accommodate the little V8. The resulting racecar was a slightly wrinkled Cooper-Maserati for Hansgen to chase his fourth President's Cup Sunday afternoon.
[Skip forward to that race. First, there was a fruitless rain delay...]
When it became apparent that the weather wasn't going to cooperate and already well behind schedule, the race duration was cut from three to two and a half hours to avoid darkness. Then at 3:30 p.m. the bottom dropped out just as Tex Hopkins flagged off the 20 soon-to-be hydroplanes – C through G Modified.
Polesitter Penske immediately sloshed into the lead in the bright red Cooper-Monaco [Telar Spl], Bob Holbert's Porsche RS61 in tow. Hansgen, of course, was buried in the field having missed qualifying for lack of a functioning racecar.
By the second lap, Penske had opened up a 10-second lead over Holbert who immediately yielded to the fast closing Hansgen. Sensing he was literally a sitting duck, Penske dove into the pits to have his tire pressures lowered. That led to a flood of pit stops for the same procedure.
All this time, the rain was steadily increasing in intensity. Forty minutes into the race, it became a gosh-darn-frog-strangler to use the most applicable terminology. That's when Hansgen's drenched spark plugs began shorting out and he dove into the pits for a change. The blinding deluge caused the mega-efficient Momo crew to fumble through a normally 30-second job in roughly eight minutes.
Leader Penske was blubbering along in second gear with Holbert following suit about five-car lengths back and just barely able to make out the distinctive tail of the Cooper.
Then above the roar of this major thunderstorm, the wail of a tached-out Maserati grew in the distance. Now more than two laps down, the No. 60 Cunningham Cooper was back on the track, appearing suddenly as a screaming ball of spray and then gone.
For the next hour and a half as the rain abated, Walt Hansgen defied the laws of physics. His display of wet track car control remains unmatched in the eyes of many observers. He was reeling in Penske at a rate of nearly eight seconds a lap.
With a half hour to go, Hansgen had unlapped himself once and was again closing on the lead duo of Penske and Holbert. The three thought they were all on the lead lap. For 15 minutes, the trio mixed it up before Hansgen finally slipped through to what he thought was the lead, pulling out another 15 seconds before Hopkins' leaping checkered flag signaled the end of a masterpiece of wet-track driving.
Hansgen was shocked when he did not receive a checkered flag and a victory lap. Penske was equally shocked when he did. It was Penske's second President's Cup. Hansgen thought he'd won his fourth.
It was to be the great Hansgen's final appearance as a driver at VIR, and his performance on the weekend was surely was one of his finest and may be the best ever at the track.
Click here to purchase "The Living History of Virginia International Raceway, Volume 1: The 20th Century" at The RACER Store.

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[h=2]Excerpt 2: The Living History of VIR, Volume 1[/h] Thursday, 20 July 2017

ABOVE: Lister wood-chipper in 1962 {Tucker Conley image]

Founding RACER.com Editor and old VIR hand Bill King has written the first volume of the official history of Virginia International Raceway.



Click here to purchase "The Living History of Virginia International Raceway, Volume 1: The 20th Century" at The RACER Store.


Virginia International Raceway was among the early group of American road courses that sprang up in the mid-1950s to fill a growing need for proper circuits for the burgeoning, post-WWII U.S. sports car market. Each venture was driven by a dream, the most common thread being the desire for a convenient venue to test themselves and their "exotic" cars
.
In describing VIR, Sylvia Wilkinson distilled the essence of all of these new racetracks: 'It's your favorite country road in captivity."
A group of enthusiasts in Greensboro, North Carolina, led the effort to create a road circuit in the mid-Atlantic. They found leaseable land in a rolling setting just into Virginia north of Milton, North Carolina. South Bend Farm was soon to be better known as Virginia International Raceway.
The chronicle of VIR's first 18 years forms a microcosm of road racing for the period, not only on the East Coast but across the country, mirroring the evolution of the sport. Many of the players who populated the early road racing ranks took the sport into the professional sphere.
In his foreword, Sam Posey says, "Here is a book that's authentic, rich in detail, and fun to read."
Excerpt 2: From the 1962 Goblin's Go Regional:
Sidebar: Graham Shaw was a genial gentleman from Columbia, S.C., who emerged on the road racing scene the summer of 1962 with a newly purchased Lister-Corvette. Shaw also came with a nickname – "Tombstone" – which he'd acquired during a brief foray into hill climbing the previous fall.
Looking to get in an extra practice run up Chimney Rock right after sun-up, Shaw was unaware that the "CLOSED" sign meant there was a chain across the road which in the early morning light was not sharply defined. A wee late, Shaw applied the brakes on his little Ferrari which he stopped mostly with his head, the chain stretched taut across the bridge of the nose before snapping. Luckily his vision was not affected, but the broken eyebrow and cheek bones left his eyes pointing in unnatural directions, a constant reminder of his near-death encounter. Shaw accepted his new moniker with good humor, although few called him Tombstone to his face.
[fast forward to October 1962]
The Goblin's Go would add to the legacy of interesting racing that marked VIR's early years and particularly 1962. The main players were as unlikely protagonists as you could find – Shaw in his new-to-him metallic blue C Modified Lister-Corvette and Art Tweedale in the quick little G Modified Lola Mk 1 he'd acquired after April's President's Cup weekend.
It wasn't long after the green flag waved that Shaw and Tweedale began rapidly distancing themselves from the rest of the field. Buck Fulp's Ferrari did not threaten. The big Lister would pull the Lola 15 to 20 car lengths down the 7/8th mile backstraight and still have much of that advantage going into the first corner at the end of the pit straight.
Tweedale, the '59 G Mod national champion, used his unquestioned skill and nimble racecar to gobble up the gap by Oak Tree. This scenario played out lap after lap.
With barely five minutes remaining in the one-hour feature, the Lister's abused brakes faded enough at the end of the backstraight to put Shaw wheels off in the downhill chicane. The maddeningly consistent Tweedale slipped through to the lead which he held all the way to the backstraight. Shaw re-passed the Lola approaching the downhills but left off his braking until very late. That and the already fading binders sent him sailing straight off into the woods where the Lister ate a felled pine tree, rupturing the radiator and filling the immediate vicinity with clouds of steam. Responding quickly, the corner workers doused the Lister with dry chemical thinking it was seriously burning up.
Fortunately, Shaw was uninjured except in the pocketbook, but the race still was not over despite the pair of frontrunners having lapped the field. Tweedale ran out of gas on the ensuing lap, barely making it to the downhill chicane from which he could roll slowly to the pits.
Tweedale's alert crew managed to dump a gallon or so of fuel into the Lola as it crept onto pit road where Art managed to restart it and beat a fast closing Guy Marvin's Lotus XI to the finish line to claim the victory. Shaw's lap count earned him fourth place.

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VIR to host 2019 SCCA Runoffs

Wednesday, 24 January 2018





The Sports Car Club of America has officially announced the 2019 SCCA National Championship Runoffs will be held October 8-13 at beautiful VIRginia International Raceway (VIR) in Alton, Virginia. This will be the very first time the Runoffs has been held at the sprawling venue located near the border of Virginia and North Carolina.

"We're thrilled to take amateur racing's most prestigious event to one of the most beautiful and challenging racetracks in the country, returning it to the Eastern United States for the first time since 2015," said Eric Prill, SCCA Vice President & COO.
"The VIR visit continues SCCA's current practice of moving the Runoffs to different locations around the country each year. And with the amazing track, facility and backdrop VIR offers, we're sure the Runoffs will be a 'must-attend' for our entire membership and racing fans alike in 2019, and a fantastic way to cap SCCA's 75th anniversary year."


Recognized as one of Car and Driver magazine's top six road courses in the nation, VIR draws thousands of spectators each year for some of the best road racing in the country. Its uphill Esses and sharp elevation changes not only make it a fan and driver favorite, but VIR has also received international acclaim and rave reviews as one of the most exciting road courses in all of motorsports.


Connie Nyholm, VIR's Owner and CEO, noted that the track first opened in 1957 as one of the country's first permanent road racing circuits. Recognizing greatness, the 3.27-mile track – which will be used for the Runoffs – has remained exactly the same since, with the only change being widening some places to offer safer run-off room.


"I can't tell you how excited we are to welcome the best amateur drivers in the U.S. for the 56th edition of the Runoffs," Nyholm said. "SCCA sanctioned the very first race here, and again in March 2000 when Harvey Siegel and I re-opened the resurrected VIR. Having the 2019 Runoffs will be an important part of VIR's history."


The first official event at VIR was an SCCA race that attracted stars like Carroll Shelby, Carl Haas, Bob Holbert, Augie Pabst, Don Yenko, Dr. Dick Thompson and Walt Hansgen. The track became a fixture in SCCA racing and a favorite among racers due to its high-speed straights, challenging turns and dramatic elevation changes. Today, the venue plays host to the Hoosier Racing Tire SCCA Super Tour, IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and Pirelli World Challenge.


While racing is the heart of VIR, the expansive 1,300-acre property is so much more. America's first true "motorsport resort," it's an entire vacation destination with a number of onsite hotel and lodging options. Within the property's rolling hills and miles of lush forest, guests can enjoy unique amenities such as the exclusive Driver's Club, dining options, spa, karting, skid pad, and even shooting sports. Located near Danville and South Boston, Virginia, the circuit is within 45 minutes of 1,500 hotel rooms and 100 restaurants. Contact VIR at lodge@virnow.com, or call (434) 822-7700 x101 for lodging assistance.


The Runoffs, which caps the Summit Racing Equipment SCCA Road Racing program each year, has evolved into what is now commonly agreed to be the pinnacle of American motorsports. Since 1964, the SCCA has crowned National Champions at the winner-take-all, single race Runoffs format through dozens of separate races over three days. In 2019, there will be three days of qualifying, followed by three days of racing. VIR joins Riverside (1964, 1966, 196, Daytona International Speedway (1965, 1967, 1969, 2015), Road Atlanta (1970-1993), Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (1994-2005, 2016), Heartland Motorsports Park (2006-200, Road America (2009-2013), Laguna Seca (2014), Indianapolis Motor Speedway (2017) and Sonoma Raceway (201 as Runoffs hosts.


While the SCCA looks forward to the 56th Runoffs at VIR in 2019, racers are currently qualifying for the 2018 Runoffs being held October 16-21 at Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, California. The traditional 12-turn, 2.52-mile course layout will be used for that event.